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IWF Wrestlemania 15
WrestleMania XV was the fifteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the International Wrestling Federation (IWF), which took place on March 28, 1999 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ten professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card, which featured a supercard, a scheduling of more than one main event. The main event contested the IWF Championship between the challenger Steve Johnson and The Rock while the penultimate match saw The Undertaker wrestle Big Boss Man inside the Hell in a Cell, a roofed cage that surrounds the ring. Lower on the card, six of the seven active championships were defended, including the first WrestleMania defense of the Hardcore Championship. Also on the undercard was a Brawl for All match, an unscripted type of shootfight between wrestler Bart Morgan and boxer/mixed martial artist Butterbean. The ticket sales of 20,276 drew a gross of $1,437,050. Background Event Pre-show The event was marked with a Rage Party the preceding evening, playing on the tagline of the event, much like Fan Axess that would come in later years. It featured music from Isaac Hayes and Big Pun among others. During the Sunday Night Heat pre-show, Jacqueline (Jacqueline Weikart) pinned Ivory (Lisa Ivory) after a back suplex. After the match, Terry Semmler burned her cigar into Ivory's cheek. The second Heat match saw a 21-man battle royal match with the last two competitors becoming a tag team for the evening to face the Tag Team Championship holders. In the event D'La Hooper and Test (Andrew Sekroa) were the last two, still fighting without realising the match was over when Droz (Darren Droz) and The Godfather (Luke Maleski) eliminated each other. The show officially began with Boyz II Men singing "America the Beautiful" in the ring before the opening video. The inaugural WrestleMania Hardcore Championship match began with Al Know striking Billy Morgan as he tried to make a pre-match speech. With Morgan in the corner, Know fought with Hardcore Murnion outside the ring, wrapping his neck in cable but, after some fighting from Morgan, Murnion was able to suplex Snow. After Morgan again interjected himself, Know was able to go underneath the mat to find some weapons including a Philadelphia Flyers hockey stick much to the delight of the crowd. The match ended when Morgan put Know through a table in the corner, originally intended for Morgan and then used the Fameasser on Know, driving him into a chair on the mat. As the referee counted, Murnion struck Morgan with a weapon, quickly covering Know to steal his second championship reign. The IWF Tag Team Championship match began with Jeff Jarrett and D'La Hooper exchanging running maneuvers before both tagging in their respective partners at which point Test used a pumphandle slam on Owen Heart, but tried again after a failed pincount only to be met with an enziguiri and then the Sharpshooter. Hooper came in illegally to break it up but was tagged in straight afterwards, dominating both Heart and Jarrett with power slams and dropkicks, almost winning the match after a Sky High that was broken up by Jarrett. Referee Jimmy Korderas was distracted when Debra came to the apron to distract Hooper only to be pulled down by Ivory (Lisa Ivory), at which point PMS (Terri Semmler and Jacqueline Weikart) arrived and all of them began to fight while Test tried to pull them apart. With everyone distracted, Heart missile dropkicked Hooper allowing Jarret to roll Hooper up and sit on him, securing a pin count. The Brawl For All match began with the two meeting in the middle, Morgan running into some blows from Butterbean. The two traded punches, neither man managing to contact properly until Butterbean shook Morgan with a left hand jab followed by a right hook which stunned Morgan allowing Bean to corner him, giving him another right hook which knocked him down. Morgan immediately came back up on his knees, but took advantage of the eight seconds before standing up fully. As soon as he stood up though he was met with an immediate right hook which knocked him straight back down, giving Butterbean a victory via knockout. This was followed with an appearance from the San Diego Chicken, who mocked special referee Vinny Pazienza and was punched to the floor for it. When Mankind entered the ring he was immediately headbutted out, but as Big Show followed him out, Mankind slammed Show's head into the steel steps. He then tried a Double Underhook DDT|double-armed DDT]] into the steps but was shoved over the steps falling backwards. Show dominated Mankind in the ring afterwards, using his sheer size to punch and throw mankind with Mankind eventually being tied up in the ropes allowing him to back body drop Show out of the ring and take out Mr. Socko to give Big Show a mandible claw three times when he returned. The third claw came with a low blow, for which Mankind was not disqualified. When Show stood back up, he had Mankind on his back and jumped backwards so that his entire body landed on Mankind. As the two recovered, Show kicked his opponent out of the ring, grabbing a steel chair and thrusting it into Mankind's chest then hitting it over his back. Big Show threw that chair and another in the ring, setting them both in seated positions and Show Stopping Mankind through the middle of them. At this point Earl Hebner finally decided to disqualify Big Show, with Show taking out his anger by attacking Mankind more with the chair. Mr McMahon made his way to the ring afterwards, berating Big Show for risking the IWF Championship match at which point Show grabbed him by the throat. He then thought better of it and released him, only to be met with another tirade from McMahon and a slap, causing Show to punch McMahon and knock him out. The four corners Intercontinental match began with Ken Shamrock and Road Dogg in the ring, with the latter being thrown from corner to corner until Goldust tagged his way in, with running shoulder barges that floored Shammrock. Shamrock tagged in Venis who came in and instantly attacked Shammrock until Goldust backdropped him. Goldust tried the Curtain Call but Venis flipped over Goldust's back only to be knocked down again by a clothesline from Goldust who then put Venis on the turnbuckle and attempted a superplex but Venis fought back and replied with a diving bulldog following with a fisherman suplex pin which would only make a two count. The two then collided in the turnbuckle, causing Goldust to fall down and Venis to fall on him, headbutting his crotch. Shammrock took a blind tag from Road Dogg, after he replaced Goldust, immediately putting an ankle lock until Venis grabbed the bottom rope. As Venis grabbed the ropes to stand up again Shammrock charged him but was tossed over the ropes as Ryan Shammrock insulted him. Venis went after Ken Shammrock and the two fought up the walkway with Shamrock running back to the ring but not fast enough to avoid a double count-out. Shamrock, not accepting the decision belly to belly suplex slammed both competitors before leaving. When they recovered Goldust Irish whipped Road Dogg but had it reversed and as Goldust ran into the ropes he had his leg caught by Ryan Shammrock, seemingly trying to grab Road Dogg's leg. Road Dogg charged Goldust and was picked up for a powerslam but managed to roll Goldust round, crashing him into the floor and covering him for a successful pin count. Before Kane's match with Triple K, Kane entered the ring only to be attacked while he was performing his signature entrance by the San Diego Chicken. Kane fought back and unmasked the chicken, revealing it be Pete Rose, trying to gain revenge for the previous year's incident but receiving a Tombstone piledriver. Triple K also tried to ambush Kane by coming through the crowd while all eyes were on the stage entrance, hitting Kane out of the ring and then hitting him into the ring post and whipping him into the steel steps. Kane then picked Triple K up and straddled him on the crowd barrier, pushing him into the Mean Street Posse who were at ring side, picking him up again to ram his back into the steel post three times. Back inside the ring Kane dominated Helmsley with his rough fighting style, using his foot to choke Triple K and knocking him down with clotheslines and punches until Triple K gained momentum from a reversal, smashing Kane's face into his knee. Kane was allowed time to recover when Triple K was distracted by Chyna coming to ringside. Triple K tried to Pedigree Kane as he stood up but failed while Amber pushed the steel steps into the ring. Kane picked them up and ran into Triple K, who used the turnbuckle to swing his feet up and kicked them back into Kane causing Kane to stagger backwards and drop them before smashing his face into the steps from a drop toe-hold. Triple K then clotheslined Kane out of the ring, following himself and attempting to Pedigree Kane on the steps but was backbody dropped. When they made it back into the ring Kane chokeslammed Triple K while Amber entered the ring with a steel chair, telling Kane she wanted to attack Triple K but as Kane turned, Amber hit him with the chair causing him to corner her but again was hit with the chair, this time by Triple K who followed it up with a Pedigree onto the chair. Amber and Triple K celebrated the reunion of D-Generation X afterwards. The Women's Championship match began with Tori taking her time to enter the ring, Sable grabbing her hair when she finally did and tossing her back out. Tori regrouped outside and pulled Sable out by her legs, ramming her face into the barrier and the apron. Tori gave Sable an explosive chop. She was whipped into the barrier herself and as she recovered Sable performed a crossbody from the outside apron. Sable kicked her on the floor in the ring but Tori clothesline her and sat on her torso and deliver seven hard punch to Sable's face, during that exchange, Sable scrim and was defenseless and at the mercy of Tori who wanted to punish the prima donna PLayboy cover girl. Tori punished sable by delivering two vicious clotheslines to the corner on Sable. Sable felt pain and Tori tried a sunset flip pin which began a series of pinning reversals ending in a stalemate. Afterwards Tori tried a running attack on Sable but took out referee Jimmy Korderas unwittingly. Sable then tried to perform her Sable Bomb but Tori jumped out of it. As she tried to perform her own powerbomb, a muscled woman, later identified as Nicole Bass, came into the ring to gorilla press slam Tori. This allowed Sable to Sable Bomb Tori and pin her to retain the championship. Before X-Pac could make his way to the ring Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco attacked him from behind but caused little problem to X-Pac who beat them then ran into the ring, with Shane McMahon fleeing. Shane eventually made his way to the ring and was punched into the corner, escaping a Bronco Buster when Test pulled him out of the ring. Shane tried to escape once again but X-Pac chased him and threw him back into the ring, only to be struck down by Test and then have his crotch rammed into the ring post. When he returned to the ring Shane scoop slammed him and attempted a Corporate Elbow, with X-Pac sitting up just before the end but he was brought back down with a low blow as referee Mike Chioda was distracted by Test. Shane continued to push the disqualification boundaries by whipping X-Pac with his belt several times before being back body dropped out of the ring, recovering only to be met with a flying crossbody. The Mean Street Posse tried to restrain X-Pac but he fought back, only to be floored by Test. After a superplex, the pincount was broken up by Test but he was soon kicked out of the ring then X-Pac whipped Woodward with the belt before round house kicking him into the corner and performing the Bronco Buster. When Chioda checked on Woodward afterwards, Test struck X-Pac with the championship belt but by the time Woodward covered him he managed to kick out. Test tried to interfere but took a Bronco Buster too. Triple H and Chyna came to the ring to pull Test out but when Woodward was floored by an X Factor, Chyna distracted the referee to allow Triple K to Pedigree X-Pac and cover him with Shane, allowing him to retain the title. The New Age Outlaws ran in the ring and brawled with Triple K and Test until the lights went out and Kane's music began to play but by the time the lights came up The Corporation were clear of the ring and had fled. Main event matches The Hell in a Cell match began with Big Boss Man punching The Undertaker into the corner until he ducked out and returned the same. Although Boss Man was able to deliver a swinging neckbreaker, Undertaker took control again throwing Boss Man into the cell. Boss Man reversed an Irish whip and threw Undertaker into the cell too, handcuffing one hand to the chain fence. Boss Man taunted Undertaker's lack of control before striking him repeatedly with his night stick causing Undertaker to fall to the floor and rip the handcuffs, though Boss Man carried on using the nightstick and cut Undertaker open. Undertaker fought back by grabbing Boss Man at the throat and throwing him back into the fence again, striking him with a chair and running Boss Man face-first into the chain fence with a fireman's carry. As the two returned to the ring Boss Man tried to clothesline Undertaker but he ducked and performed a leaping flying clothesline of his own before going Old School, ultimately falling into the ropes. The two began a fist fight in the middle of the ring with Undertaker failing a tombstone piledriver attempt, but successfully performing it seconds later and pinned him afterwards. Undertaker stood up and looked to the heavens with his hands upwards, signaling The Brood to descend onto the roof of the cell. They cut open the roof of the cell and passed through a noose, securing the other end to the top of the cell. The Brood then ascended back into the rafters as Undertaker put the noose around Boss Man's neck, with Paul Bearer causing the Cell to rise and take a hanging Boss Man with it. After the match a video package of the Rage Party was shown while Boss Man was taken down and carried off on a stretcher. Before the main event, Michael Cole announced Jim Ross returning to call the match. Mr Woodward then came to the ring as the special guest referee but once he was in the ring Ryan Barnhart's music began to play. Commissioner Barnhart came to the ring and cut a promo joking that he had to buy a ticket to get in, then explaining that only the commissioner is entitled to appoint a referee for WrestleMania, ordering Woodward to the back and barring all members of The Corporation from ring side. The main event began with the two wrestlers insulting each other before Steve Austin threw the first punch, The Rock instantly returning. The majority of the early part of the match took place outside the ring, with Johnson being choked with a t-shirt then taking Rock through the crowd before returning back into the secure area and into the crowd the opposite end. When Rock threw Johnson back into the secure area he choked him on some cable and took him up the walkway, but Johnson fought out of his grasp and threw him into the steel barriers, trying to piledrive him but being backbody dropped so that his knee landed onto light support girders. Rock picked up Johnson and threw him into the WrestleMania XV sign but Johnson circled round and threw Rock into them instead, then dragged him back towards the ring having a suplex reversed on the concrete walkway. Rock then tried to throw Johnson back through the crowd at ringside, spitting water in his face but Johnson took control and put him onto the Spanish announce table, performing two elbow drops to break the table and then spat water into Rock's face. Johnson threw his opponent into the ring, celebrating to the crowd but when he entered the ring Rock sprang up and drove Johnson into the floor with a Rock Bottom, following with an unsuccessful pin cover. The Rock grabbed a chair but Johnson took it from him, Rock blocked the oncoming chair shot by pulling referee Mike Chioda in front of him, who took the chair shot. Rock then caught Johnson by surprise with a swinging neckbreaker, taking the chair and driving it into Johnson's back several times. After another pin attempt, with Tim White now officiating, Johnson still kicked out and Rock used a sitting chin hold to subdue him. After holding him for some time, Johnson slowly stood up, elbowing Rock and attempting a running attack but was taken out with a Samoan drop, which Johnson again kicked out of. The Rock took his frustration out on White, Rock Bottoming him, which gave Austin the time to recover and attack the champion with a Stone Cold Stunner, with Earl Hebner eventually coming in to officiate but only counting to two before Rock kicked out. Mr Woodward came to the ring, distracting Johnson while The Rock lowblowed him; the two men kicking away at Austin in the corner and punching Hebner when he tried to stop them. As the two double teamed Johnson, Mankind came running to the ring in his referee's uniform, throwing Woodward straight out the ring and Johnson tried a roll up pin. He followed with a Lou Thesz Press but Rock soon took the advantage with another Rock Bottom. With Johnson in the middle of the ring, The Rock tried the Corporate Elbow but Austin moved out of the way at the last second. Rock caught Johnson's foot and spun him round, trying to Rock Bottom him again but Johnson elbowed him away and delivered a stunner, finally securing a pin fall and winning the IWF Championship. Reception Results ; ; *Sunday Night HEAT match: Jacqueline Weikart (with Terri Thomas) defeated Ivory (with D'Lo Brown) (1:24) *Sunday Night HEAT match: D'Lo Brown and Test won when Droz and The Godfather eliminated each other. (4:16) *Hardcore Murnion defeated Billy Morgan © and Al Snow in a Hardcore match to win the IWF Hardcore Championship (7:06) *Owen Heart and Jeff Jarrett © (with Debra) defeated Test and D'Lo Brown (with Ivory) to retain the IWF Tag Team Championship (3:58) *Butterbean defeated Bart Morgan (w/Vinny Paz as special guest referee) in a Brawl for All match (0:35) *Mankind defeated The Big Show by disqualification (6:50) *Road Dogg Jesse James © defeated Ken Shamrock, Goldust (with The Blue Meanie and Ryan Shamrock) and Val Venis in a Four Corners Elimination Match to retain the IWF Intercontinental Championship (9:47) *Kane defeated Triple K by disqualification (11:33) *Sable defeated Tori to retain the IWF Women's Championship (5:09) *Shane Woodward © (w/ Test) defeated X-Pac to retain the IWF European Championship (8:41) *The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) defeated The Big Boss Man in a Hell in a Cell match (9:46) *Steve Johnson defeated The Rock © (w/Mankind as special guest referee) in a No Disqualification match to win the IWF Championship (16:52) Notes *Boyz II Men sang a rendition of "America the Beautiful" before the show. *Other celebrity guests in attendance for WrestleMania XV included Pete Rose, Butterbean, Vinny Pazienza, Chuck Wepner, Kevin Rooney, Isaac Hayes and Big Pun. Other on-screen talent Also see *List of IWE pay-per-view events *IWE Event History *WrestleMania DVD Release External links